Martian mayorship requires at least two check-ins at a location. "Even
on Mars, you play by the same rules," Courtney Connor, social media
specialist for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, tells On Deadline.]

Foursquare has clarified Curiosity's Napoleonic attempt at an
interplanetary political power grab: "Mars Curiosity is actually not in
the running to be the mayor of 'Mars'. With one more check-in after
today, it could become the mayor of 'Gale Crater' which is the spot on
Mars where it checked in."]

NASA is using Foursquare "as a tool to share the rover's new locations while exploring Mars," NASA spokesman David Weaver said in a news release. "This will help to involve the public with the mission and give them a sense of the rover's travels through Gale Crater."

Curiosity will keep checking in during the next 23 months of its exploration.

NASA has partnered with the localization service since 2010, when astronaut Doug Wheelock did the first-ever space check-in from the International Space Station.

Foursquare,
which claims a "community" of 25 million, touts itself as "a free app
that helps you and your friends make the most of where you are." It
offers "personalized recommendations and deals based on where you, your
friends,
and people with your tastes have been."